Collar-supporter.



No. 812,127. PA'TBNTED FEB. 6, 1906. 0. G. & B. L. GOODMAN. COLLAR SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14. 1905.

WITN ESSES IN VENTO Rs ozwem. @wd7 m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER GRIFFITHS GOODMAN AND BRADFORD LANE GOODMAN, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

COLLAR-SUPPORTER- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

Application filed August 14, 1905. Serial No. 274,222.

To all whom, it may concern.

Be it known that we, OLIVER GRIFFITHS GOODMAN, chairman, and BRADFORD LANE GOODMAN, managing director, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at 82 Caroline street, Birmingham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collar-Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to collar-supporters such as are used principally by ladies for vertically supporting and preserving the shape of lace and other soft collars. Such supporters are usually made from lengths of stiff wire with eyes or loops at the ends to provide for their connection by sewing to the material of a collar, and when so made the devices are by reason of their inflexibility uncomfortable to wear and unsuitable for use with collars made of lace or other delicate fabric.

The object of this invention is to provide a supporter which although capable of effectively supporting or upholding the material of a collar is nevertheless perfectly flexible and capable of yielding or lending itself freely to the movements made by the neck of a wearer; and this object we propose to attain by making the body of the supporter or the part which comes between the end eyes or attachment-loops from spring-wire so fashioned as to produce a stem which is sufficiently rigid in a vertical direction to properly support or uphold the collar, but is nevertheless perfectly flexible or free to yield or bend in any direction, so as to admit of and conform to the free movements of the wearers neck.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents, upon an enlarged scale, an elevation of the improved collar-support. Fig. 2 is another view showing the stem in section and the end loops in elevation. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the device. Fig. 4 represents, upon a further enlarged scale, one end of the device, which is shown partly in section and partly in elevation. Fig. 5 is a view showing how the improved supports are applied to a lace or like collar.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

a is the flexible body part of the support,

and b b are the end attachment-loops. The said body part is made from a length of spring-wire which is coiled up or fashioned into a hollow or tubular stem whose coils are closely superimposed, as shown in the figures. This closely-coiled stem is sufficiently strong in a vertical direction to properly support or uphold a collar, but is nevertheless sufliciently flexible in all directions to admit of same yielding or giving to the movements of the wearers neck, while the nature of the coiling is such that when the stem is relieved or freed from pressure it will return automatically to its normal upright position.

The attachment-loops b b are of elongated form and are disposed horizontally or at right angles to the vertical stems, so as to provide extended support at the points where the ends of the device are attached by sewing to the material of a collar. In the particular arrangement represented the connection of the loops to the flexible stem is made by forming the latter with shanks 11 which are inserted into the hollow ends of'the said stem and there secured by closing or gathering the surrounding coils around the same, as shown in Fig. 4 but it is to be understood that the said end attachment-loops may be secured by soldering or in any other convenient manner,

or the said loops or other equivalent means of attachment may be formed out of the same length of wire as the flexible stem.

Having fully described our invention, what we desire to claim, and secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A collar-supporter, consisting of a flexible stem formed by a close coil of spring-wire and having means for its attachment at the opposite ends, substantially as set forth.

2. A collar-supporter consisting of a flexible stem formed from a close coil of spring wire, and attachment-loops or eyes having shanks which are inserted into and secured with the ends of the said stem, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OLIVER GRIFFITHS GOODMAN. BRADFORD LANE GOODMAN. Witnesses:

HENRY SKERRETT, IDA B. SODER. 

